1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a built-in camera information device for presenting information representative of modes of camera operation and various kinds of warnings by the use of sounds, and, more particularly, to a system for producing a sound continuously or discontinuously with or without a change in power or tone, or the variation with time of the power to thereby enable the photographer to clearly distinguish in which condition the camera is set.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the past, the condition of whether or not the camera is satisfactorily operative, and what warning occurs, have been displayed in visual form, for example, by LED's or warning marks beyond the dynamic range of an exposure meter within the finder. With advances in the electronic design of the camera, the presentation of such information has taken the form of sound. Since the conventional acoustic display device did nothing more than provide a single sound without change in energy and tone, it was impossible to establish a distinction between the various kinds of camera information. Therefore, the conventional device was very inconvenient.
It is also known to provide display means for producing continuous and discontinuous sounds of the same power as warning signals representing the derivation of an improper exposure value due to low or high brightness and the influence of hand-shake, and another discontinous sound which takes place during the period of actuation of the self-timer, as disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent No. Sho 54-37728. Since the four kinds of information, namely, improper exposure factor settings because of low and high object brightness, hand-shake warning, and the actuation of the self-timer are made to differentiate from one another by the use of only two sounds, the result is ambiguous. Further, since the self-timer goes on with a sound which is monotonous, the amount of time left to balance the set period of time is unknown to the photographer, the result being inconvenient.